Compsognathus

Say it: komp-SOG-nuh-thus

Name means: “elegant jaw”1

Ate: MeatOther meat-eatersLate Jurassic

Compsognathus was a tiny, speedy dinosaur about the size of a chicken. It ran on two legs and hunted small lizards and insects. This little predator lived in Europe during the Late Jurassic period, around 150 million years ago.1

Lived

155 to 145 million years ago3

Late Jurassic

Fossils found in

Germany, France, and Portugal1 3

Food

Meat1 3

Length

0.7 to 1.4 m2 1

the smaller German specimen is thought to be a juvenile; the French specimen is larger

Weight

3 kg2

Artist's life restoration of Compsognathus — How Compsognathus may have looked, by Nobu Tamura (http://spinops.blogspot.com). CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons. Scientists still argue about colours and details.

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

Compsognathus was one of the smallest dinosaurs ever discovered. Until the 1990s, it was the smallest known non-bird dinosaur.1

Scientists know exactly what Compsognathus ate because both fossils have the remains of lizards in their bellies.1

The first Compsognathus fossil was found in Germany in the 1850s. It was originally thought to be a lizard, not a dinosaur.1

Compsognathus lived on islands in a warm, tropical sea. Its fossils were preserved in fine limestone that was once lagoon mud.1

The German specimen of Compsognathus is only about 0.7 metres (2.3 feet) long. Scientists think it was a juvenile.2 1

Compsognathus had small, sharp teeth. The front teeth had no serrations, but the back teeth had fine serrations on the rear edge.1

Myth buster

Myth: Compsognathus is often shown as a tiny dinosaur that hunted in packs.

Truth: There is no evidence that Compsognathus lived or hunted in groups. The fossils found are of single animals.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Compsognathus
Named by: Wagner 18613
Group: Other meat-eaters
Family / clade: Compsognathidae3
Classification: Theropoda > Compsognathidae3
Age of the rocks: 155 to 145 million years (Kimmeridgian to Tithonian)3
Rock formations: Alcobaça, Painten3
Countries: France, Portugal, Germany3
Fossil records: 4 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: The first Compsognathus fossil was found in Germany in the 1850s by a doctor named Joseph Oberndorfer. He lent it to paleontologist Johann A. Wagner, who named it Compsognathus longipes in 1859.1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if the smaller German specimen is a juvenile or a different species. Some think both fossils belong to the same species, Compsognathus longipes.1

Where the facts come from

Compsognathus (en.wikipedia.org)
Compsognathus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Compsognathus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@dinowiki.app and we will fix it.